U.S. NTDP defenseman and BC commit Marshall Warren is a leader

Marshall Warren is No. 39 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-season rankings. (Courtesy Photo)

If Marshall Warren’s mom, Lisa, had her way, her son would be a figure skater, not a hockey defenseman. He would be performing double axels — his favorite move — in the Olympics, not scoring goals and stifling the opposition in his second season in the U.S. National Team Development Program.

This is precisely why it’s a good thing Warren was patient and didn’t run away from the rink after he first stepped on the ice at 3 years old.

“My sister (Arielle) was a figure skater, and when I went on the ice my mom made me start figure skating, too,” Warren, 17, remembered. “I wasn’t allowed to touch a hockey stick until I was a good enough skater. It took four years. I used to watch kids my age play hockey. I was so embarrassed, I ducked under the boards when they walked by. I happened to be on their team a few years after that. It was funny.”

Lisa successfully passed her passion on to her daughter, though. Arielle, who started figure skating at age 3, continues to perform today at Boston University, where she’s a sophomore.

As for Marshall, those early figure skating lessons helped him develop into a quick, agile and athletic skater in the hockey world, where the Laurel Hollow, N.Y., native is capable of zipping around opponents with his crisp movements. In November, those attributes earned the 5-foot-11, 169-pounder a B rating by National Hockey League Central Scouting on its Players to Watch list, indicating that he’s a candidate to be selected in the second or third round of the 2019 NHL draft. He’s No. 39 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-season rankings, released last month.

Initially a forward, Warren at age 12 was moved to defense while playing youth hockey for the Boston Junior Bruins.

“My coach at the time, Chris Masters, said I should try ‘D’ at our spring tournament since I saw the ice well,” Warren recalled. “After that, I ran away with it.”

He sure did.

Just two years later, Warren proceeded to take the next step in his budding career when he headed to the Portledge School in Locust Valley, N.Y. He calls the two seasons he spent at the prep school “two of the best years” of his life.

“For me, Portledge is home,” Warren added. “As a person, I grew up and I matured in every aspect. Being around Jon Sandos, the head coach, definitely helped me, both in hockey and also in knowing how to do things right. He always watched out for me, telling me when I was wrong and telling me what I needed to do to be better. And my teammates helped me so much, too, especially the older guys when I was a freshman. I learned a lot by playing with them.”

Around this time, Warren, who was a New York Islanders fan, started studying his favorite team’s defensemen, particularly Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic, and did his best to copy their assets and add them to his skill-set.

“The way Leddy goes up and down the ice, his skating and stride is effortless,” he said. “It was the same when he was playing for the University of Minnesota. That’s part of my game.”
Another blueliner who Warren tries to emulate is Hockey Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom, whom he watched as a kid with his father, Lewis.

“Lidstrom was my dad’s favorite player, and mine, too, when I was growing up,” Warren said. “His skating ability, his stick-to-puck ratio and the way he played with his body position are things I try to do on one-on-one defense. Getting my stick on the puck is definitely a part of my game.”

One aspect Warren feels is nearly unique to him is his athletic ability.

“I get in the gym and can do things some people can’t,” he said. “I was gifted with athletic talent, and I just try to show it on the ice.”

After suiting up for his prep school team, Warren headed to Michigan to play for the U.S. NTDP. Last season, his first in the program, he totaled 30 points (8-22-30) in 60 games with the Under-17 squad. This season through 29 contests with the Under-18 club, the left-handed shooting D-man has 17 points (5-12-17).

Warren considers his most-improved skill since he started playing the sport to be his ability to “treat every day like it’s your last day.”

“You have to work hard every day,” he explained. “That’s working in the gym, all the way up to the ice. We strive to be the best, and if you don’t show up for just one day, it might not hurt you right then, but it will hurt you in the long run. If you’re somewhat there at practice and not fully there, you’re wasting a day.”

Warren refuses to squander any day, always aspiring to perform at his peak level. And while he still loves and is able to score goals thanks to his youth days playing offense, he prides himself on being defensively responsible and a two-way leader on the ice.

“Leadership is huge for me,” he said. “I’ve had a letter (captain’s ‘C’ or alternate captain’s ‘A’) throughout my two years in the program, which is something special. I try to always be there for every single guy on my team and talk to them whenever they need help. Kids gravitate toward me, and that’s something special.”

It should come as no surprise, since the leadership trait is in his genes.

Revealed Warren: “My family is full of leaders. My dad works in the financial industry and is a leader in the business world. He started out with nothing, worked hard, left Virginia at a young age and now provides for my family. He’s been on Wall Street for 30 years. My mom is a leader in everything she does. My family also has a military background. My grandpa was in the U.S. Navy. My great-uncle was one of the first African-Americans in the Montford Point Marines. When I went down to the farm in Virginia they would tell me things and it helped me become a better person and a better leader. My uncle is a leader, too. He was in the CIA.”

This fall, Warren will take his leadership abilities to Boston College, where he hopes to help the Eagles soar.

“It’s a place where I can develop, hone all of my skills, be a leader and help them win games,” he said. “With coach Jerry York and all of the coaches there, it’s going to be great. Being close to home is good, too.”

There’s only one problem with going to BC: when he faces off against BU. Will Warren’s parents be pulling for his school or the one which his sister attends?
“They’ll probably be pulling for my sister’s,” Warren joked.

But before Warren departs for Boston, he’ll visit Vancouver in June for the NHL draft. And there’s no doubt whom his parents will be cheering for those two nights.